


tap, tap, tapping on the glass

by remrose



Category: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, First Dates, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Scheming, Wooing, background fierrochase and samir, subtitled: magnus is a giant meddler
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-02
Updated: 2017-07-24
Packaged: 2018-11-22 07:35:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11375559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/remrose/pseuds/remrose
Summary: Hearth has been sleeping Blitz's couch for six months, which would be fine, if it wasn't for the fact that he's been in love with him for six years.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> title from Dear Evan Hansen. special shoutout to M for the help and cheerleading.

“Explain it to me again.” Magnus says, signing as he speaks.

Hearth mimes strangling him, then signs in sharp movements. ' _I don't know what part you don't understand_.'

Magnus grabs his own legs, crossing them manually, and leaning forward. He's perched on one half of Blitzen's old burgundy couch, still wearing his work uniform and smelling like coffee grounds. Hearth is on the other half, hair sticking up in all directions from pulling on it.

“The part where you won't tell him.” Magnus replies, pausing a moment to bite his lip, hands suspended in front of him. “I mean, he obviously likes you too.”

' _As a friend._ ' Hearth signs back, tapping his fingers together hard in emphasis. ' _I'm not telling him. I'm not ruining what we have._ '

“Buddy,” Magnus sighs. “I know it's hard, but come _on._ It's you two. We've been calling you married for like. Years. It's not as if you're approaching some stranger on the street. It's like jumping into the water when you know it's gonna be cold. You gotta just leap, feet first.”

' _I'm not risking it._ ' Hearth shakes his head resolutely.

“Is this because you basically live on his couch now?” Magnus asks, and when Hearth narrows his eyes in reply, he adds, “Yeah, I noticed that. Don't tell me you're worried that he would kick you out, or something, if you told him. This is Blitz we're talking about. He'd never do that to anyone, let alone _you.”_

Magnus turns his head, and Hearth feels the small vibration of the front door closing.

' _He back?_ ' Hearth signs.

Magnus listens. “Yeah, think so. We can drop this for now, but I'm not forgetting it.”

' _I didn't expect to be that lucky._ ' Hearth replies dryly, and then turns to face the door so he can see Blitzen arrive.

“Hey! Magnus, you're here.” Blitzen greets, automatically signing as he comes in, dropping his backpack to the ground and approaching the couch.

“I'm here.” Magnus confirms. “Totally for normal reasons.”

Hearth drops his face to his hands for a moment, and wonders if he can suffocate Magnus with a couch cushion.

Blitz raises an eyebrow. “Is that so?”

“Yup!” Magnus says cheerfully. “I brought you a scone.” he holds out a small paper bag from his work, smiling angelically.

“Thanks.” Blitz replies, taking it and hopping over the back of the couch, sitting between them. Scone in his mouth, he signs, ' _What are you guys up to?_ '

“Oh, you know.” Magnus wink at Hearth, the jerk. “Just talking.”

Blitz looks at Hearth in curiosity, and he decides that self suffocation might be better since it will hide his blush, and grabs the couch cushion.

“Oh no you don't." Magnus says, prying his hands off it. Hearth scowls at him, eyes promising future pain if he continues, but the blonde isn't deterred, a devious sparkle in his eye.

Hearth wishes he could collect what he told Magnus and pry it back from his head, obviously it was a mistake to tell him.

Blitz is frowning now. He lowers the scone, looking worried on Hearth's behalf. The jerk. “Is everything okay?”

Hearth signs, ' _Yes._ ' Magnus says, “No.”

' _Magnus,_ ' Hearth signs. ' _I'm actually going to murder you now. Please come outside so I don't make a mess in Blitz's house._ '

Magnus just laughs. He signs, ' _Time to leap, buddy._ ', then says out loud, “I've got to head out, Blitz. Have fun!”

“Okay.” Blitz replies, mystified.

' _Murder._ ' Hearth signs darkly. Magnus blows him a kiss, and hops to his feet, skidding out of the room carefully out of range of Hearth.

Magnus is gone. Blitz is still sitting close, frowning lightly and fiddling with the end of his scone. “What was that about?” he asks.

' _Nothing._ ' Hearth replies immediately. ' _Ignore him._ '

Judging by the expression on his face, Blitz isn't going to do that.

“Come on,” Blitz says softly, reaching out and gently touching his ankle. “It's me. You know you can talk to me.”

Hearth feels his heart contract, like someone punched him in the chest and made it skip a beat. He wants to take all the feelings he has and suffocate them with the pillow.

He can't do that. Instead, he signs, ' _Nothing, really. Magnus is just being Magnus._ '

The frown deepens on Blitz's face, a little furrow between his brow appearing. The guilt for making his best friend make that expression is an animal clawing up his throat.

' _Don't worry about it._ ' Hearth tries, hands stuttering, before lowering it to fold overtop Blitz's warm fingers on his ankle.

“If you're sure.” Blitz says, slowly.

Hearth nods earnestly.

“Alright.” Blitz flips his hand, then squeezes Hearth's fingers once before letting go. “Are you hungry?”

Hearth replies in the affirmative, and tries to bury the disappointment he feels. Maybe he should've said something. But he's too afraid. Magnus is right, it's like standing on the lip of a cliff, preparing to jump into an unknown body of water. What's underneath is completely unknown, a swirling abyss. He's not ready. But he doesn't think he'll ever be ready.

So he stays sleeping on Blitz's couch, and stays in love with him, and remains on the edge of the cliff, staring below and wondering about what's beneath the surface.

[]

Hearth has taken over a table in the corner of Valhalla Cafe, pressed against the wall and working away at his chemistry homework.

Magnus brings him a mocha, and spelt in chocolate syrup is the words 'tell him'.

Hearth puts his pencil down, and levels Magnus with a very flat look.

Magnus doesn't even pretend to be crowed, wiping his hands on his apron and sitting across from him. “I can't help but notice that you haven't done anything yet.”

' _That's because I'm not going to._ ' Hearth replies, and scoops up the chocolate with a spoon. It's very sweet.

His friend folds his arms on the table, resting his chin on them, searching Hearth's face with his eyes. After a moment, he says, speaking clearly, “I just don't understand.”

The mocha is good, regardless of the pestering written on top. Hearth sighs, warming his fingers on the cup before signing slowly, ' _I can't lose him._ '

“You wouldn't.” Magnus replies immediately, earnest.

He shakes his head, resigned. ' _You can't know that._ '

Magnus' feet kick at the bottom of the stool, swinging restlessly. When he doesn't say more, Hearth picks up the pencil and continues to work on his chem.

Hearth slugs through the questions, and Magnus steals sips of the mocha. After a while, Magnus twists in the seat suddenly, and Hearth looks up to see that Samirah is speaking.

“... feel like getting back to work?” she asks.

Magnus laughs. “Sorry. Just taking a break.”

Samirah raises an incredulous eyebrow. “By meticulously scrutinizing Hearth while he tries to do his homework?”

Hearth glances at Magnus, unimpressed.

He raises both his shoulders in a shrug, and hops off the stool. “I'm thinking.”

“Don't hurt yourself.” Samirah says, and heads back to the counter.

“I have a plan.” Magnus walks backwards away from him, signing and speaking at the same time. “Just wait.”

Hearth feels dread and anticipation, and gives a hesitant salute. Magnus grins, and whirls around to return to work.

He scribbles away for a while longer, before familiar green shoes step into his line of sight. Hearth is not surprised when he looks up to see Alex heaving herself onto the stool across from him, holding a fountain drink.

' _Hi Alex._ ' Hearth signs, resigned to more distractions.

“Hey.” Alex replies cheerfully. “I hear I'm going on a double date with you.”

Hearth feels himself go cold, right to his centre. He flexes his fingers, willing them not to shake, and signs back, ' _Could I interest you in conspiring to murder Magnus instead?_ '

She sucks on her straw, expression thoughtful. “Maybe.” she says. “I could lock him in the freezer in the back without anyone noticing. But going bowling would probably result in less jail time. Probably.”

Hearth groans, and leans back in his chair, defeated. ' _I shouldn't have told him._ '

Alex shrugs carelessly, spinning the straw in circles. “I mean, you knew what he'd do. Maybe subconsciously you wanted him to help you. Or maybe you're a masochist.”

Hearth doesn't bother choosing between those two options. ' _How did you two start going out?_ '

A sly smile crosses her face. “I told him we were dating. He said, 'oh, okay', and picked dandelions for me, saying that I gave him too much short notice to get something better. I still have them, actually. I pressed them.”

' _That's cute._ ' Hearth signs back. ' _I'm not doing that._ '

Alex laughs, throwing her head back, then says, “I didn't think you would. Not your style. Maybe you should like. Woo him.”

' _Woo him._ ' Hearth repeats sardonically.

“You know! Like... like, shit, I actually have no idea how to woo someone, hold on. Sam!”

Samirah returns to his table a second time, cleaning a mug with a cloth. Hands occupied, she looks at Hearth as she speaks so he can read her lips, though she's addressing Alex. “Should I even bother asking if you feel like actually working?”

“This is important!” Alex says. “How do you woo someone?”

Samirah purses her lips in a way that Hearth has come to associate with humming. “Well. Flowers, chocolates, holding the door open for them, that kind of thing. Why?”

Hearth signs, ' _No reason._ ' Alex says, “For Hearth to woo Blitz.”

Samirah smiles, and Hearth jerkily signs to Alex, lacing the movements with spite, ' _You and Magnus deserve each other._ '

Alex makes a heart with her two hands, tilting her head and grinning devilishly.

“Hearth,” Samirah says, putting down the cup on the table so she can sign. ' _I'd already guessed, don't worry. And I'm sure whatever you do, Blitz would love, because it comes from you._ '

' _Am I that obvious?_ ' Hearth signs, wary.

Both siblings give Hearth a definitive 'yes'. He feels his face heat up.

“Relax,” Alex tells him, patting his hand. “I don't think Blitz has noticed. He would've said something.”

' _Or maybe he has and hasn't said anything because he doesn't feel the same way._ ' Hearth darkly replies.

' _I highly doubt that._ ' Samirah straightens her posture, confident.

' _I'd bet money that's not true._ ' Alex signs, with a wink.

“Now, Hearth has homework, and you have a few dozens dishes to do, Alex.” Samirah says.

“Yeah, yeah.” Alex says, getting to her feet and stretching languorously to the sky. “Catch you on the lanes, Hearth. Hope you know how to bowl.”

Hearth does not know how to bowl. He drops his head to the table.

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

“It's strange that you agreed to come bowling, considering you don't know how to bowl.” Blitz says casually to Hearth, bumping their shoulders together as they walk towards the bowling alley.

Hearth tries to keep his face placid. He shrugs, and signs, ' _It's Magnus' fault._ '

“That, I can understand.” Blitz laughs. “I bet he's gonna make us play on teams, and we can never beat those two. We should challenge them to a pinball challenge afterwards, to level the playing field.”

Hearth feels a helpless bubbling in his chest, like his lungs are full of carbonation. Playing pinball with Blitz would be a combination of his two favourite things on the planet.

As they approach the building, Hearth remembers what Samirah told him, and awkwardly steps in front to hold the door open. He gestures a hand for Blitz to go first.

' _Thanks!_ ' Blitz signs brightly, stepping inside with a sweep of his expensive coat. Hearth follows him, heart pumping enthusiastically in his chest.

Magnus and Alex are already inside, wearing matching bowling shirts, which is both disgusting and adorable at the same time. The shirt is a forest green, but with Alex's insisted neon pink trim. Their backs are lovingly embroidered with the words 'Beantown' for Magnus and 'Guillotine' for Alex. Yikes.

Magnus catches him reading Alex's back as they approach and grins. "It's because she cuts off the heads off our competition." He says and signs at the same time, looking cheerful.

Alex turns, putting down her bowling ball to do the same, hands moving with flashes of her coloured nail polish. "And the head of a pin in one memorable occasion."

Hearth snickers. Blitz laughs, glancing at Hearth in shared humour. Hearth's heart grows three times in his chest.

"Don't forget the shoes." Magnus tells them, and points at the booth at the entrance. "Don't pout at me, Blitz. You know they don't let you wear your own shoes."

Hearth takes Blitz by the elbow and almost has to drag him over to release his stylish shoes into the dubious care of spotted teenager behind the booth. They receive two pairs of smelly bright orange shoes, one pair much larger than the others.

"Urgh." Blitz says, picking them up with a forefinger and thumb. "I'm far preferring pinball right now."

Hearth agrees with him, and struggles to tie the stiff laces.

Alex and Magnus are honest to god _stretching_ as they return, chatting in what Hearth catches to be strategy.

"You two take this way too seriously." Blitz tells them, striding to the console to type in his name on the overhead scoreboard. "It's almost as bad as the war games."

The war games are what Magnus and Alex play as a recreational sport along with their other classmates. It's all extremely well planned and dramatic and Hearth goes to watch sometimes with Blitz, mostly for the amusement but also for the potential to record blackmail.

"We take _everything_ seriously." Magnus tells him, schooling his expression to solemn, then immediately breaking down into laughter when Alex pulls a ridiculous face at him.

Hearth rolls his eyes, and joins Blitz at the console. There's already 'Beantown' and 'Guillotine' on the first team, while Blitz has put himself as 'Ten Ducks in a Suit' and Hearth as 'Pinball Wizard'.

' _Ducks?_ ' Hearth signs.

Blitz laughs again, this time with his expression wry and self deprecating. ' _Panicked. All I could think of.'_

They bowl. Magnus and Alex score strikes and spares, while Hearth and Blitz throw wobbling shots that more often than not slide into the gutter like it's magnetized there. By the end of the game, Beantown and Guillotine's team is hundreds of points ahead of them. Hearth and Blitz begin to congratulate each other for even keeping the ball in the lane, and develop a complex high five for when they manages to hit the pins.

"You make it hard to gloat about beating you." Alex comments, watching them.

"That won't stop you." Blitz says.

She laughs, and then develops a complicated victory dance with Magnus that they perform on the tabletop. Hearth records it with his phone and forwards it to Samirah.

Samirah texts back, 'If they get kicked out of the bowling alley they'll run out of ones in town that they're allowed to go to.' 

Hearth rolls his eyes, and claps his hands loud. When they look at him, he signs for them to get off the table.

"Yes _mom._ " Alex and Magnus say together, and hop down while holding hands.

"Can't take you kids anywhere." Blitz says, finishing his signing with a wagging finger.

Magnus sticks his tongue out at him.

"I wanna get nachos." Alex says, and turns on her heel to go get them.

Magnus opens his hands helplessly, and scrambles to follow her. "Hey! I want some too!"

Blitz snorts, signalled to Hearth by his shoulders moving, and tips his head back to look at him. His expression seems like he might say something, but doesn't. Hearth fidgets under his gaze, wondering what he's thinking. Maybe he's thinking that this is basically a double date. Or maybe he's thinking that he also wants nachos.

Blitz jumps, and twists to look behind them. Hearth follows his gaze, and sees Magnus waving them over. They follow, but Hearth can't help but feel that there was something he should've said just then.

[]

Alex and Magnus are banned from the best arcade in town, so they can't convince them to play pinball. Instead, they go there later in the week with Samirah and Amir, which is disturbingly close to another double date. Hearth dominates at pinball, and tries not to blush every time Blitz grins at him with pride so clear on his face.

Magnus steps up his game in annoying, sending Hearth a text every morning. This particular morning is: 'Good morning. You should tell Blitz. It's going to rain later today, don't forget an umbrella!'

Annoying as it may be, he doesn't forget an umbrella. After school, he finds Blitz waiting by the front doors, frowning at the torrential downpour.

He clicks the umbrella twice on the ground as he approaches, getting his attention. Blitz turns, face lighting up like a twenty watt bulb when he sees him.

"Hey buddy!" Blitz says. "This rain is nuts. Of _course_ I wore my good blazer today." He touches the lapels, frowning at himself.

Hearth offers his umbrella.

"I'm not just gonna take your umbrella." Blitz says, rolling his eyes.

Hearth's feels his heart palpitate, and signs, ' _Share?'_

"Oh, yeah, sure." Blitz replies, like it's no big deal. "But if it's too small you gotta promise you'll let me be the one to take the water damage."

Hearth isn't gonna promise that. He steps out the front doors instead, lifting the umbrella and opening it, gesturing for Blitz to come underneath with him.

His best friend darts under, tucking close to his left side. The umbrella is barely large enough, a halo of black fabric above them. He can feel the vibrations through the handle as the rain strikes it mercilessly.

Blitz taps Heath's chin to make him look down, so he can read his lips. "I'm just gonna keep close. We can walk in a cadence. Okay?"

Hearth swallows against his heart in his throat, and nods. Blitz winds an arm around his back, and they start off on the left foot. He's stuck to his side like glue, all warmth and arm holding on tight. Hearth has a hard time keeping the cadence, left right left right...

It's impossible to talk like this, trying to keep them both dry, so they don't until they get back to Blitzen's house. Blitz has stopped asking if Hearth wanted to go back to his parents' house a long time ago. Though Hearth has essentially moved in to live on his couch, but they have yet to actually talk about it. Hearth is too scared that if he acknowledges the change, he'll have to go back to his parents.

Walking this closely to Blitz is making him all flustered. He knows his face must be red, and he desperately hopes Blitz doesn't notice. He supposes this is what Samirah and Alex meant when they called him obvious.

"Thanks Hearth." Blitz says when they get home, with that blinding smile. "You're the best."

Hearth bites back his immediate, knee-jerk response of 'no, you are', and gives him a nod. Blitz steps away from his side, and Hearth can't help but wish it would rain everyday.

Magnus texts him just as the two of them sit down to eat pizza with Freya. It reads, 'You should tell him soon or I will have to resort to drastic measures.'

Hearth shudders, wondering how this could possibly get any worse than it already is. He glances at Blitz, who is laughing at something his mother said, and furiously beats down the butterflies erupting in his stomach. Magnus can do what he wants. Hearth refuses to jump into the water and find that there's rocks underneath.

 


	3. Chapter 3

Hearth takes it back. Magnus is not allowed to do what he wants. Hearth is actually going to kill him.

_Drastic measures_  apparently means locking Hearth and Blitz in a closet, seven minutes in heaven style. Like their lives are actually a terrible teen movie.

'Could be worse.' Blitz texts him, because it's too dark for both lip reading and sign language.

Hearth is currently jammed in a linen closet with his best friend that he's been in love with for six years, all personal space completely gone. Blitz's knee is jammed between his legs, and his chin is resting on his bicep. It literally could not be worse.

'How?' Hearth entertains to reply, wondering if they're pressed closely enough for Blitz to hear his heart racing.

'Magnus could be waiting outside the door blasting terrible music.' Blitz texts back, and Hearth can feel his fingers move as they tap on the keyboard.

'That'd only be worse for you.' Hearth wouldn't be able to hear it.

'Truth. How long do you think he's going to keep us here?'

'Seven minutes.' Hearth hazards as a guess. He can feel Blitz's breath on his skin, and it goosebumps. He's going to kill Magnus slowly.

'Oooooh. I get it now. Brat.'

Hearth's face heats up, and it takes all his will-power not to squirm. He fights the urge to text an apology, because then he'd have to say why he feels he has to. He can't possibly find a way to safely explain his current feud with Magnus and his meddling.

When Hearth doesn't reply back, Blitz sends a double text. 'We could try to break out?'

Working together, they manage to jam a gift-card in between the door and the doorframe, but not unlock the door.

'This always looks easier on TV.' Blitz texts him again, shoulders shaking with laughter.

Hearth pushes hard against the door, hoping to get it by force, and Blitz helps him. In that moment, Magnus opens the door. It swings open wide, and Hearth falls forward onto Blitz.

Hearth's brain short circuits, pretty much lying on top of his best friend. He's aware in the corner of his eye that Magnus is cackling with laughter, but his focus on Blitz's face.

"Hey buddy." Blitz says, smiling.

Hearth heaves himself up, then sticks out a hasty hand to help Blitz up. Magnus is still laughing, and Hearth dashes off to try and kill him. He doesn't even think of it until much later while he's trying to sleep on the burgundy couch that when he helped him up, Blitz's hand was shaking. 

[]

Hearth and Blitz have claimed a table in the corner of Valhalla Cafe, which is currently closed. Technically they're not allowed to be in there, but none of the employees are about to kick them out. The two of them are playing a very serious and intense game of Go Fish, waiting for their friends to finish work so all of them can go to the movies.

Once the entire cafe is swept and mopped and the dishwasher in the back stops running so loud that even Hearth can feels the vibrations, Magnus and Alex walk over their freshly mopped floors to join them at their table.

"Let's play poker!" Alex says immediately, chair almost falling over from the force of her throwing herself down. "I'll deal."

Hearth obligingly hands over the cards, since it's much easier to go along with her. Magnus looks excited to play, which is strange to Hearth considering he knows that the kid has zero poker face.

Halfway through the first hand, Blitz taps Hearth's leg underneath the table. Hearth glances at him, but his best friend is focused on his cards, face innocent. But his fingers spell 'ACE?' on his leg.

Hearth suffocates a smile, and smuggles Blitz his ace underneath the table.

Working together, the two of them crush Magnus and Alex at poker, which is perfect payback for the catastrophe that was their bowling competition. The poker game is played with bets of baked goods, and by the end Magnus and Alex owe Blitz two dozen muffins.

"You were cheating." Magnus accuses, pouting. "No idea how, but you were."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Blitz replies, serene. "I'll take blueberry."

Hearth covers his mouth with his hand to hide a smile.

Samirah finishes checking out the cash register and waves them over, driving them all in her parents silver van to pick up Amir, then to the movies. After a long and action packed movie, they putter over to a late night diner to get breakfast food. Hearth finds himself squashed in a booth, pressed ankle to shoulder with Blitz, talking about the upcoming dance at school.

"I've bought both a suit and a dress." Alex tells them, shredding her napkin while waiting for the food to come. "Just in case."

"Both of them look amazing." Magnus adds, obviously not biased at all. "I don't know what I'll wear."

"You can borrow a suit of mine." Blitz offers kindly. He's watching Hearth stack the cream containers in a tower before reaching over and flicking them so they collapse. Hearth gives him a mock-wounded look.

"I'd love that, thanks!" Magnus says brightly. "The green one?"

"You'd look better in grey." Blitz replies, stacking up the creams himself this time. Hearth topples it with a calm motion in retaliation. Blitz laughs.

"Yeah, but he needs to match me." Alex says, stealing one of the creams that landed near her.

"Grey suit, green accents?" Blitz suggests.

Alex looks thoughtful. "Possibly. I'd have to see it."

"We'll do a Magnus fashion show for you." Blitz says.

"Don't I get a say?" Magnus says, expression the one of someone who knows the answer to the question they're asking.

"No." Blitz and Alex reply together.

"You don't own a suit?" Amir asks, eyeing the huge pile of shredded napkin Alex is creating. Magnus leans over the booth to grab napkins from the other table and starts to help her.

"Nah." Magnus says flippantly, and doesn't elaborate.

When their food arrives, the group has to briefly clean up the huge mess they've already made, and shuffle around each plate. Hearth has waffles, covered in generous whipped cream and strawberries. Blitz has blueberry pancakes, which he drowns enthusiastically in syrup.

"Hey Blitz, can I ask you a hypothetical question?" Magnus says, whipped cream on his chin.

"Hold on, you've got..." Alex says, pointing at her own chin in demonstration.

Magnus swipes at his chin, missing it. Alex reaches out, with a finger covered in whipped cream, and makes it worse.

"I got it." She lies.

"Thanks!" Magnus says, covered in whipped cream. "So. Hypothetical question, Blitz?"

"Sure thing, buddy." Blitz replies.

"Would you wanna go to the dance if you had someone to go with?"

Hearth's instincts ping nervously. He tries to communicate to Magnus with his eyes that if this is going where he thinks it's going, his death will not be quick and painless.

"Oh, sure, I guess." Blitz says.

"Would you go with Hearth?" Magnus asks.

Hearth feels his heart literally stop beating in his chest, a thick dead weight in his ribcage. He feels like Blitz's response takes a year, but in reality it's as easy and casual as the rest of the conversation.

"If he wanted to, yeah." He glances at Hearth, smiling. "Hypothetically."

Hearth's fingers are shaking as he signs, ' _Up to you_.'

"You know me, any excuse to wear a suit." Blitz winks, and Hearth feels all his internal organs liquify.

Hearth takes too long to think of another reply, so Magnus inserts himself. "So you'll go?"

Blitz meets Hearth's eyes, all fond and easy, and it's not hard to agree. So he does.

"Great, glad to hear we won't be stuck with just these two all night." Samirah says, referring to herself and Amir against Magnus and Alex.

Alex sticks her tongue out. "You love us."

"Don't you remember the last dance we went to?" Amir asks, looking long-suffering, and immediately the group shifts to retelling that night again. Hearth focuses on his breathing, and tries really, really hard not to panic.

The questions remains -- does Blitz mean for it to be as friends, or as a date?

Hearth doesn't ask, but spends the rest of the night wondering.

 


	4. Chapter 4

On the night of the dance Hearth refuses to give up his leather jacket. The best that Blitz can manage is to wrangle him into a collared shirt underneath.

' _You have absolutely no class_.' Blitz reprimands, but his lip twitches as he signs it. The shorter man is wearing an impeccable suit from the crease of his lapels to the shine on his shoes. Hearth thinks he looks incredible.

' _You look incredible._ ' Hearth replies. 

Blitz bites his lip and ducks his head, then glances up sheepishly at Hearth. ' _You think? Thanks man.'_

Hearth is briefly overwhelmed with how much he adores his best friend. He wishes more than anything that he could find a way to ask him if he thought this was a date or not. But all the conflicting reasons not to ask come flying back into his head as soon as he considers it.

During school that afternoon Hearth had spent his art class trying to fold origami flowers. He succeeded in creating three small yellow carnations, taped together by the stem. He offers them to Blitz, who thanks him sincerely and tucks them into a button hole.

Blitz fidgets with the edges of the paper flowers, his smile minimizing just a little. "I know that Magnus kind of strong-armed us into this, so if you don't actually wanna go tonight we could watch Netflix or have take-out or something instead."

Hearth very much wants to go to the dance with Blitz, and tugs at tight collar of his shirt, trying to think of way to explain that doesn't involve embarrassing himself. After a moment, he signs, _'I want to go. There's always the potential for more blackmail.'_

Blitz chuckles, shoulders losing some of their tension, and smile regaining its force. "Yeah. Yeah, sounds good."

They are picked up by Samirah in her trusty van. Then they fetch the cleanly dressed Amir next. Magnus and Alex are last, waiting on the curb and waving their arms exaggeratedly when Samirah pulls up. 

"We're doing he-slash-him tonight, friends." Alex announces, climbing into the back seat. The sharp suit he's wearing enforces the change.

Magnus has a three-piece suit that Blitz put together, which is grey with forest green accents. Alex's is mainly green, though Hearth can see his socks are bright pink.

"Nice socks." Amir comments, looking in the rear view mirror at Magnus and Alex wrestling to get the better seats in the back of the van.

"I have an aesthetic to uphold!" Alex calls back, and tries to elbow Magnus in the nose, winning the seat.

"Settle down, children." Samirah says, waiting until all seat-belts are strapped on tight over everyone's formal clothing to start driving away. "I'd prefer if we ended the night with far less injuries than the last time."

They stop for drive-thru burgers, and Blitz is the only one who manages to eat without getting ketchup on himself. In the van, it's harder for Hearth to read everyone who's talking, so he focuses on Blitz next to him. Blitz nimbly translates each person who talks as best he can, pulling exaggerated faces to make Hearth laugh.

The six of them pile out of the van and into the dance, getting their hands stamped by a stern faced chaperone and ushered into the dimly lit gym. Hearth feels a slight disappointment despite himself, thinking ahead to a long night of not being able to understand what people are saying to him.

Blitz signs as best he can, asking for a flashlight. Hearth turns on his phone, pointing it at his best friend.

' _It's too loud in here to hear anyway.'_ Blitz signs, illuminated, glancing at the rest of them. ' _We won't bother talking out loud.'_

Magnus shines his own phone flashlight on Alex, who signs, ' _We're all in this together!'_

Samirah and Amir enthusiastically sign, ' _Wildcats!'_.

Hearth feels touched. For the first hour of the dance they hug the wall and talk, trading the spotlight illuminated by shaky phones to sign, attempting terrible jokes to make everyone to laugh.

Magnus and Alex break off from the group to dance in the centre with all the other awkward couples, but the two of them are still laughing over the puns they were spinning earlier and can't seem to go more than two steps without stepping on each other's feet.

' _Someone tell me if Alex tries to lift Magnus over his head, Dirty Dancing style. I'm gonna get some punch._ ' Amir signs, and Blitz volunteers to go with him.

Samirah tugs Hearth by the sleeve to the doors, where there's enough light to see without having to wave flashlights around. It's an annoyingly high traffic area, though, and Hearth keeps getting his shoulder bumped. 

' _You doing okay?_ ' Samirah asks. She looks radiant in a full length dress and bedazzled hijab.

Hearth gives a nod. A school dance wasn't somewhere that he'd ever imagined himself to be, but his friends have been so awesome and accommodating he hasn't had time to be that nervous. But as he watches Alex purposefully mess up Magnus' hair on the dance-floor, the nerves begin to bubble up in his chest.

Samirah gives him a light punch on the shoulder, and signs with an encouraging smile. ' _You got this._ '

Hearth is beginning to feel like he might throw up. ' _I don't got this._ '

Samirah doesn't have a chance to reply before Amir and Blitz return, both carrying two punch cups each. They offer one cup over to their respective partners.

Hearth accepts the lukewarm punch, signing thank you with one hand before taking a sip. It's terrible. It must show on his face, for Blitz laughs.

_'Sorry, all they've got._ ' Blitz signs, then downs his own with a shudder. _'I think it's literally orange Tang with the wrong water to powder ratio.'_

_'Too much water.'_   Samirah agrees, and chucks her cups into a nearby garbage can, shooting it like a free-throw basketball.

Hearth spots Magnus and Alex over their shoulders, tearing up the dance-floor, and signs, ' _Dirty Dancing alert.'_

All of them take our their phones to record the dark and blurry figures of Alex managing ten whole seconds of Magnus over his head before dropping him in a heap on the ground. The two then kneel on the floor and laugh incredibly hard while getting tripped over by other dancers.

_'I promise not to pick you up.'_ Amir signs to Samirah, and holds out his hand. She accepts, throwing a wink over her shoulder as they join the dance-floor. The two take a respectable dance position with more than enough distance between them, and swan around the dance-floor with a slinky grace.

_'I make no promises_.' Hearth signs to Blitz with shaking hands, trying to joke and offering a grin.

_'My lord.'_   Blitz replies, bowing, and offering out his hand.

Dancing with Blitz makes Hearth feels lightheaded. The positioning of hands to dance means they can't talk, but Blitz doesn't seem concerned, swinging them around in spinning circles. His face is lit up with the occasional spots of light, filled with a swelling joy and a smile so big it must be hurting his cheeks.

The song ends, the heavy vibrations in Hearth's chest stopping, along with all the swaying dancers. In the dim light, he thinks he can make out Blitz asking him if he wants to go outside. Hearth nods, and Blitz pulls him by the hand through the crowds and out the doors.

In a hallway that is blissfully bright, Blitz signs, ' _Fresh air_?' and Hearth agrees. They slip out the front doors and circle around to the old playground behind the school, lit by streetlights.

Blitz immediately heaves himself onto the monkey bars, strolling on the top of them like a tightrope walker, arms out. He hops down the other side, and bullets through the tube slide. Hearth steps carefully across a moving bridge, and kicks at a fireman pole, trying to determine if he wants to wrap his hands around the probably germ-covered metal.

The structure vibrates, and Hearth turns to see Blitz rocketing up the moving bridge, laughing. He has no fear, swinging down the fireman pole and bolting over to the other structure. Hearth slides down much slower, and walks through the sand to the same structure. His best shoes are filling with sand.

Blitz is sitting on a wooden platform, his perfect suit not wrinkled in the slightest, and Hearth comes to stand in front of him.

_'Hey!_ ' Blitz signs, still grinning hard. ' _Now we're the same height.'_

Hearth's heart is beating hard as he looks at him, so much that he feels dizzy. He tries to smile.

The light in Blitz's eyes dims. He lifts his hands to sign, but hesitates. Then he powers through it. _'Are you gonna tell me what's wrong?'_

Hearth's heart is lodged firmly in his throat. He tries for joking, but it feels a little to honest. _'I was planning on dying with it, actually.'_

Blitz allows a twitch of his lips, but it doesn't stick. ' _I know something's up. For a while, actually. But I wasn't sure I wanted to ask. After all, what could be wrong with my best friend that I didn't already know?'_

Hearth has a hot acid of shame rise in his throat. He's been so stupid lately. He wishes he could just find it within himself to say it. He ducks his head, bangs falling into his eyes.

Soft fingers brush them aside, back behind his ear. He glances back up at Blitz -- strange, since he's so used to looking down -- and sees him saying, "Hey."

Hearth signs, ' _Hey_.'

"You can tell me anything." Blitz signs and says at the same time, strong conviction on his face.

Hearth doesn't reply, throat tight with emotion. Blitz reaches out, straightening the collar of Hearth's shirt with a serious expression.

It feels like now or never. Blitz eye level with him, looking his very best, always on his side no matter what.

Hearth's hands tremble so hard it must be noticeable from the goddamn moon, but he asks, ' _Is this a date_?'

Blitz stills, and eyes go a little wider. "Uh..." he licks his lips, and cringes a little. "I don't know."

That is not the answer Hearth expected. He raises both his eyebrows and repeats, ' _You don't know_?'

"I mean..." Blitz stammers, and starts signing again as he talks. "I want it to be. But I don't know if you do. I'm sorry, I really feel like I've been super obvious and I've been pushing myself onto you but I have no idea because sometimes I just _can't read you._ "

Hearth has to sort the sentence out in his head, dull shock taking over. He can't believe Blitz thinks that he's been the obvious one here. Hearth had no idea if he likes him, he has literally been as clear as mud.

When Hearth fails to produce a response, Blitz picks up his rambling again. "And I seriously, seriously, didn't want to say anything because you're sleeping on my couch, and I didn't want you feel like you owed me anything, or if that made you uncomfortable because then you wouldn't have somewhere else to go, and it's just such a huge mess and I shouldn't have said anything and--"

Hearth cuts him off by raising a hand. Blitz's mouth shuts, jaw flexing.

_'I want it to be a date too._ ' Hearth replies, at last. ' _So I'm going to kiss you now._ '

"Oh." Blitz says, faintly. "Oh, okay."

In the moment where Hearth seals his lips against his, fingers tight in his perfect lapels, heart pounding so hard that it feels like it might break his ribs, he realizes something.

It's not standing on the edge of the cliff, getting ready to plunge yourself into the great unknown. It's toeing the cliffside, side by side with your best friend, and leaping into the abyss _together._

The kiss they share takes his breath away, like he's underwater. His fingers are cold when they trace Blitz's jaw, making him smile against his lips and wind his arms confidently around Hearth's neck.

Pulling away suddenly, Blitz turns his head, and Hearth can't help but feel disappointed at the lack of contact. He follows Blitz's gaze and he sees four familiar people at the top of the hill. Magnus has his fingers in his mouth, likely engaged in a wolf whistle.

_'Excuse me.'_ Hearth signs calmly to Blitz, backing up from where he'd stepped between his legs. _'I have a Magnus to kill.'_

Magnus sees Hearth approaching and breaks into a full sprint in the other direction.

Ten minutes later finds Hearth kneeling on Magnus' back in the middle of the sandy playground, twisting his arm behind his back before the other hand taps trice for mercy. The others casually walk up, Alex taking a seat beside his boyfriend in the sand, careless of his own green suit, and petting Magnus' hair.

"You poor thing." Alex coos, brushing some sand off his cheek.

Magnus murmurs something Hearth can't hear but can feel through the vibrations in his chest.

"No, you deserve this." Alex replies.

Magnus talks some more.

"He's begging for mercy." Samirah supplies.

Hearth huffs, but releases his knee off Magnus' ribs, letting him breathe. Alex helps him up like a gentleman, and they both work to brush the sand coating his suit.

"Alright, that was fun." Magnus says. "I'm craving falafel though, so let's blow this popsicle stand."

Amir laughs. "Done with the dance already?"

"Amir, falafel is calling my name. I don't ask questions, I just answer the call."

Alex winds an arm around his boyfriend's back. "That dance was a bust anyway. Come on, my little Beantown, let's get you some deep fried chick peas."

Blitz offers Hearth a hand up. He takes it, and doesn't let go.

Samirah glances at their conjoined hands as they cross the playground back towards her van. "So, I have to ask. Blitz, did you know?"

Blitz squeezes Hearth's hand, and smiles. The group stops, interested in his answer, standing by a large blue elephant play structure. "I had an idea. But with Hearth staying at my place right now, I wasn't really going to say anything and put him in a bad position."

Samirah frowns, and scrunches up her nose. Alex swears, and Magnus immediately starts digging for his wallet in the pocket of his suit.

Blitz raises an eyebrow, glancing at Hearth. He shrugs, having no idea what they're doing either.

Samirah, Alex, and Magnus each hand over a twenty to Amir, who with a calm smile folds the bills into his pocket.

Hearth has a half remembrance of Alex commenting about a bet in the cafe. He scowls at them.

"Sorry man." Magnus raises his hands. "You know I can't resist a good bet."

"How'd you know that was why he didn't say anything?" Alex demands to Amir.

Amir shrugs easily. "It makes the most sense. Blitz is a nice guy, he would be thinking about Hearth's health and safety first."

"Aw, thanks." Blitz says, looking kind of embarrassed.

' _He is a nice guy._ ' Hearth signs in agreement, and can't help the goofy grin on his face when he looks at Blitz.

"Urgh, you're adorable." Alex says, wapping Hearth on the arm. "Come on, let's go have our first triple date."

"Late night falafel while fully dressed in formal attire." Magnus says, looking blissful. "Couldn't ask for a better one!"

"It certainly fits how our lives usually go." Samirah comments, sounding resigned.

The six of them get falafel. Hearth doesn't spend that night on the couch, instead finding a much nicer place to sleep next to Blitz. He begrudgingly buys Magnus a thank you card, that reads, 'I hate your meddling but it worked out ok so you can live.'

Magnus frames it.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> huge thank you for joining me on this little adventure.


End file.
